Our honeymoon in Curacao was a week of pure bliss!
The Dutch island is located in between Aruba and Bonaire; making the flight just over 5 hours south of YYZ.
My dad’s side of the family is from the Netherlands, so I was pleasantly surprised at how the Dutch culture shines across the island. It reminded me of my grandparents so much, so I immediately loved this place.
Dan and I were so caught up in all the love and excitement from our wedding. This was the perfect paradise to soak it all in.
If you are planning a honeymoon or a trip to Curacao here are some of the highlights from our trip:
- Riding the catamaran to Klein. This island is spectacular, its known as “little Curacao”! The boat ride will test your sea legs. However, once you get there you will be in awe of the perfect white sand and glowing blue waters. We both agreed it’s the best beach we have ever seen. We did our tour with Irie Tours, and they were great! There are many options available for this type of trip. We spent about 5 hours on the island- we jumped off the boat to snorkel, we walked up to the abandoned lighthouse and enjoyed an awesome bbq lunch on board. If you plan on trying this adventure – bring lots of sunscreen and make sure you have a tour that provides food ( or bring your own) as there is no where on the island where you can purchase anything. And make sure you have access to a snorkel because the water is so incredibly clear, you’ll want to see the life that is thriving below.
- Eating at Steak and Ribs located in the Rif Fort. When asking the locals where we should eat many said their favourite restaurant was “Steak and Ribs” – so we had to give it a try! We went early and reserved a table that perfectly overlooked the sun setting behind the docked cruise ship. It was stunning. The food here was great! The portions are big – the tuna steaks were the best we had. Across the island we found the service to be slow, so expect that – but we were never in a rush, so it didn’t bother us ! This restaurant seemed really quiet until about 6 PM.
- Walking through the colourful city of Willemstad. I loved exploring Willemstad! It’s such a beautiful place that’s filled with colour and dutch tourists – plus the walking here is easy! There is a floating foot bridge that allows you to easily cross the St Anna Bay, both sides are filled with great places to shop, grab an ice cream or try a mojito. We always felt safe walking around and I loved taking photos of the waterfront.
- Dining at The Gouverneur. I really enjoyed our dinner here. The restaurant sits on the second floor and people dine on what feels like a terrace over looking the St Anna Bay. The sunset views are beautiful and the food was fantastic. I also found the staff here to be some of the most efficient and friendliest.
- Trying some traditional Dutch treats. Growing up my grandparents always had dutch treats like :
- speculaas ( ginger cookie)
- stroopwafel ( thin caramel wafer)
- black licorice ( known as a drop)
In Curacao you can find all of these traditional treats that people enjoy in the Netherlands. Even the airport sells massive wheels of Gouda! I loved how evident the Dutch culture was. If you want a great souvenir inside the Rif Fort there is a nice Delft Blau shop where you can buy the classic blue and white pottery. I know many would not like the black licorice – but they are my fav!!!
If you are looking for some local food Plasa Bieu is a local food hall, and while things tasted good – we did not find it that welcoming to tourists. Goat, pumpkin, local fish, conch, plantain – can all be found here! So if you are looking for very traditional cooking – you could check it out, however it’s not a very comfortable atmosphere.
Overall, we loved Curacao. Seeing all the ships come into the port just beside the Renaissance hotel has encouraged my husband to try out cruising. So that could likely be a future adventure!
If you are considering a Caribbean adventure in Curacao – I would say go for it! It’s now my favourite Caribbean island.
RACHEL SCHOUTSEN 